Braunton

Hi, any good hotel recommendations in Nosara (Harbour Reef?) and Tamarindo (Best Western?) - has anyone stayed at these or can you recommend something good?

Thanks in advance

ardie514

Hi- We stayed in Playa Grande, near Tamarindo and loved the Hotel Las Tortugas. The Best Western in Tamarindo looked nice. It's right at the entrance to town and across the street from the beach and a great little french bakery. My sister will be in Tamarindo staying at El Milagro in a few weeks. The Diria seemed very nice also and right on the beach, but I think it's alot more expensive than some of the others.

As far as Nosara goes it's a great area, beuatiful beaches and excellent surfing. We stayed at the Gilded Iguana and enjoyed it, but not sure I would stay there again, though the price was right. We walked around Harbor Reef and it looked really nice. They were doing some construction (in Sept.) so check and see if it's completed or it might be a bit noisy. We also walked around Casa Romantica and it was lovely and had excellent beach access. Personally this would be my first choice if we went back to Nosara. If you don't need to be right on the beach Lagarta Lodge seemed like a really cool place. The views are awesome overlooking a nature preserve and the ocean. They have some nature trails right out the back door through the preserve and the views from the restaurant are fantastic. Make sure you go eat at Cafe De Paris. They have great food- breakfast, lunch and dinner. And I hear the pizza at Giardano Tropical is great (it was closed when we were there in the rainy season). Hope this helps.

Braunton

great thanks for the info.

Do you know if it is easy to go on trips from Nosara /Tamarindo - we plan to base ourselves here for surfing but want to go and see some of the other sites of Costa Rica too!

If so, can you recommend any tour operators for organising trips?
Thanks

ardie514

Hi- We were in both those places for surfing as well and really didn't do a lot of tours. We rented canoes and other water sports equipment right from our hotel in Playa Grande, and just sort of went off and explored on our own. We did use CentralAmerica.com to book our car and I know they also book tours. They were really wonderful. Also, I think at The Diria Hotel in Tamarindo I saw an excursion desk. Good luck!

Berrios

Hi, My husband and I were in Tamarindo in November and I would highly recommend Hotel Pasatiempo. It is not directly on the beach, but is in the middle of town which is near everything. It is very reasonablly priced and has very nice bungalows. There is a small pool on the property and a good restaurant and bar. Most of all, the owner Ron and his wife are extremely friendly and helpful as is the rest of the staff.

Iza

What is your budget?

In Tamarindo, we liked Capitan Suizo the most (located on the quiet end of the beach). Jardin del Eden also gets good reviews (up the hill from the beach), although I didn't care for it a few years ago. Cala Luna would be a great choice too if you are looking for peace and quiet. Tamarindo is easy to do day trips from.

Nosara is more isolated (20km on unpaved road) and more spread out than Tamarindo. We stayed at Casita Romantica and it was OK but nothing special. It is not easy to do day trips from Nosara, most people just stay put and surf and relax.

dcmalia

I would only stay at a place on the beach, my opinion. Tamarindo is a dusty town and it sucks to walk along the dirt roads up to other hotels. We stayed at Casa Rosa, a B&B-type place next to Hotel Captain Suizo. Loved Casa Rosa, which was low key and fit into the relaxing scene we were looking for. Captain Suizo looked really nice & is far enough from the town to get some peace and quiet. We walked to the Best Western to use their ATM (must have a Visa to use it, fyi). It seemed like a good place for young folks and surfers. It's right across the street from the beach, so that seemed close enough to me. The Diria Hotel is on the beach I think, it's really nice and they have a pool and restaurant. Hope that helps! Good luck!

flycatcher06

Hi there, for those who have stayed at the Gilded Iguana cAN YOU TELL ME what type of room did you stay in - did you drive at night to dinner - were there many bugs? How about wildlife on the property and how far of a walk to the beach? Any details would be greatly appreciated! thanks!

karenlf

Hi,
We got hooked on Costa Rica several years ago when I saw a 299 round trip airfare to Liberia and we stayed in Tamarindo several years ago.We were at the Best Western there for one night. It was just so so but had a nice view of the water. We moved to Jardin del Eden which we just loved. Nosara--have been there three times. The first two we were at Casita Romantica which used to be part of Casa Romantica but now is a small seperate hotel. It is clean, charming, and you can walk to the beach through a path. There is a small pool and you can walk to several restaurants although at night it is very dark in Nosara so I would not advise walking at night.It is safe, just really dark. At Xmas we once again snagged a cheap charter and drove to Nosara. We stayed at a charming b and b named Villa Mango. I hate to make this recommendation because I am afraid it will become very popular and then we will not be able to return. You can walk to the beach from there but it is best to have a vehicle. Joe and Agnes are so warm and friendly. It is totally relaxing. The rate included a good breakfast and there is a small pool. When we return at Xmas again this is where we plan to stay. Nosara is not for taking side trips but for swimming ,surfing, and relaxing. We did get to see the Ostional turtles this year as an added bonus. In Nosara we do love the sunset from Lagarta Lodge and restaurants we like are La Dolce Vita (outisde town), La Luna (on the beach) and Cafe de Paris. The pizza is good at Giardino Tropical but the service was so horrid the night we were there I would hesitate to recommend it. (Not just a little slow, my husband's food never came at all.)

kaudrey

Hi,

In Tamarindo a few weeks ago we stayed at the Jardin del Eden and loved it. The rooms are very pretty and we had a patio to watch the sunset from. It's up the hill and overlooks the town, so you have a great view. The pool area is lovely and the restaurant is fantastic (not cheap though).

We loved it there.